Syntype: BMNH 1946.8.26.11 (formerly 54.6.18.3), collected by R. Webb, purchased Dr Kelaart. It is not clear how many specimens were used for the description of the species, but there is some suggestion from the measurements provided that more than one specimen was used. The fate of any other syntypes is unknown.Holotype: NMSL 20072101, adult male. 40.16 mm SVL. Coll. R. K. Rodirigo, D. Jayantha and L. J. M. Wickramasinghe. 07. 11. 2006 [munindradasai]

Diagnosis

Diagnosis. Distinguished from all other species of Lankascincus by the following combination of characters: prefrontals widely separated, frontal in broad contact with frontonasal (suture between frontonasal and frontal about half of/more than the length of posterior border of frontonasal); supralabials six; last supralabial subequal to the preceding supralabial; subdigital lamellae under the fourth digit of pes 9–13; adpressed limbs not overlapping (from Batuwita 2019: 215).

Diagnosis (munindradasai): Lankascincus munindradasai sp. nov. is distinguished from known congeners by possessing the following combination of characters: A medium sized Lankascincus 35–40 mm SVL; Prefrontals widely separated; one loreal scale, the loreal is touching the prefrontal, frontonasal, nasal, 1st, 2nd supralabial scales, upper and lower preoculars; the loreal is larger than the longitudinal axis, the nasal is fused; 6 supralabials , the last supralabial scale is single and lager than the others, 4th at the mid orbit point; 28 smooth scale rows at mid body; 53 to 54 paravertebral scales; 56 to 58 scales between mental and vent; median preanals are enlarged, outer preanals overlap with inner; lamellae under the fourth fingers and toes 8 and 12 respectively, the lamellae formulae for both fingers and toes are 4>3>2>5>1 and 4>3>5>2>1.

This species does not seem to be mentioned by Taylor 1936 in his Eumeces monography.

Etymology

Lankascincus munindradasai was named after the late Dr. D. I. Amith Munindradasa, scientist who worked to the betterment of the country, although an electronic engineer by profession worked in various disciplines, a lover of nature, who was also involved in the discovery of five Cnemaspis species, and worked as a silent yet effective conservationist in the country.

Batuwita, Sudesh 2019. A REVIEW OF THE LIZARDS OF THE ENDEMIC GENUS LANKASCINCUS (REPTILIA: SCINCIDAE: LYGOSOMINAE) FROM SRI LANKA. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 162(3), (8 April 2019) - get paper here